National Agriculture and Food Research Organization ● JR Joban Line, Ushiku Station Kanto Tetsudo bus from Ushiku station West Exit Take the bus bound for Tsukuba Daigaku Byoin, Yatabe Shako (approx. 20 minutes) → Get off at Norin Danchi Chuo → 5 minutes walk ● Tsukuba Express, Midorino Station Kanto Tetsudo bus from Midorino station Take the Norin Danchi Junkan bus (approx. 15 minutes) → Get off at Norin Danchi Chuo → 5 minutes walk *Note: Buses do not run on weekends & holidays. ● Tsukuba Express, Tsukuba Station Tsuku-bus Nanbu Shuttle from Tsukuba station Take the bus for Kukizaki Madoguchi Center or Kukizaki Rojin Fukushi Center (approx. 16 minutes) → Get off at Norin Danchi Chuo → 5 minutes walk Approx. 5 km from Yatabe Interchange of the Joban Expressway. Approx. 4 km from Tsukuba-Ushiku Interchange of the Ken-O Expressway. Locations and Access Information Train & Bus Car 3-1-1 Kannondai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8517, Japan TEL +81-29-838-8988 Fax +81-29-838-8982 URL: www.naro.affrc.go.jp E-mail: [email protected] Hokkaido Agricultural Research Center, NARO (Sapporo, Hokkaido) Tohoku Agricultural Research Center, NARO (Morioka, Iwate) Institute of Agricultural Machinery, NARO Bio-oriented Technology Research Advancement Institution, NARO (Saitama, Saitama) Western Region Agricultural Research Center, NARO (Fukuyama, Hiroshima) Kyushu Okinawa Agricultural Research Center, NARO (Koshi, Kumamoto) NARO Headquarters (Tsukuba, Ibaraki) Agri-Food Business Innovation Center, NARO Central Region Agricultural Research Center, NARO Institute of Fruit Tree and Tea Science, NARO Institute of Vegetable and Floricul- ture Science, NARO Institute of Livestock and Grassland Science, NARO National Institute of Animal Health, NARO Institute for Rural Engineering, NARO Food Research Institute, NARO Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, NARO Institute of Crop Science, NARO Institute for Agro-Environmental Sciences, NARO Advanced Analysis Center, NARO National Agriculture and Food Research Organization Research stations of centers・institutes NARO Headquarters NARO Headquarters NARO Organizational Chart History 1893 Research centers established as national experimental research institutes. 2001 National Agriculture Research Organization, Independent Administrative Agency. 2003 National Agriculture and Bio-oriented Research Organization, Independent Administra- tive Agency. * Integrated with the Bio-oriented Technology Research Advancement Institution. 2006 National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, Independent Administrative Agency. * Integrated with the National Institute for Rural Engineering, National Food Re- search Institute, National Farmers Academy (closed at the end of 2011). 2015 National Agriculture and Food Research Organization 2016 National Agriculture and Food Research Organization * Integrated with the National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Institute for Agro-Environmental Sciences and National Center for Seeds and Seedlings. The National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO) has been revitalized as the core institution in Japan for conducting research and development on agriculture and food, with the integration of the National Insti- tute of Agrobiological Sciences (NIAS), National Institute for Agro-Environmental Sciences (NIEAS), and the National Center for Seeds and Seedlings (NCCS) from April 1, 2016. This also coincided with the commencement of a new five-year research and development period, its fourth mid-term plan. The new NARO will promote R&D on agricul- ture, food and the environment, extend its achievements into the society in an integrated manner, with a global vision, and contribute to the sustainable development of Japanese society and the rural communities through research innovations aimed at a stable supply of safe food, as well as the enhancement of the competitiveness of agriculture and food industries, protection of the environment, and creation of new values for agricultural prod- ucts. As a National Research and Development Agency which can conduct integrated research over a wide range of fields, including basic, applied, developmental and extension studies, we have defined our research themes, and developed our structure and system, in order to maximize our research achievements. Our fourth mid-term plan has four major programs: (1) Strengthening the capability of agricultural production and farm management; (2) Development of new varieties and agricultural products towards the realization of a strong agriculture and creation of innovative industries; (3) Producing high-quality and healthy food and ensuring the safety and reliability of agri- cultural products; and (4) Resolution of environmental issues and sustainable use of local resources. As Japan’s largest agriculture and food R&D organization, we will advance cutting-edge, basic and in- novative research through cooperation between our internal and external networks, as well as international institutes such as JIRCAS and overseas research organizations. We aim to develop an organization with our active and creative personnel, which promotes gender equality, and works in strict compliance with rel- evant laws and regulations. NARO, aspiring to make invaluable contributions to the society President, Senior Vice-president, Vice-presidents Agri-Food Business Innovation Center, NARO Hokkaido Agricultural Research Center, NARO Tohoku Agricultural Research Center, NARO Central Region Agricultural Research Center, NARO Western Region Agricultural Research Center, NARO Kyushu Okinawa Agricultural Research Center, NARO Institute of Fruit Tree and Tea Science, NARO Institute of Vegetable and Floriculture Science, NARO Institute of Livestock and Grassland Science, NARO National Institute of Animal Health, NARO Institute for Rural Engineering, NARO Food Research Institute, NARO Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, NARO Institute of Crop Science, NARO Institute of Agricultural Machinery, NARO Institute for Agro-Environmental Sciences, NARO Advanced Analysis Center, NARO Genetic Resources Center, NARO Center for Seeds and Seedlings, NARO Bio-oriented Technology Research Advancement Institution, NARO 【Original cultivars developed by NARO】 Duties of the Center for Seeds and Seedlings 1.Growing test of agricultural crops for cultivar registration Conducts DUS (distinctness, uniformity and stability) grow- ing test to provide data to clarify whether candidate varie- ties are new ones or not to facilitate the examination by the Intellectual Property Division of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF). 2.Seed inspection of agricultural crops Implements label examinations and seed quality testing, provides guidance to seed producers and trad- ers for ensuring appropriate distribution of seeds and seedlings, and issues seed quality certificates. 3.Production and distribution of potato and sugarcane foundation seeds Produces and distributes disease-free and high-quality foundation seeds of potato and sugarcane. ‘Fuji’ apple ‘Shine muscat’ grape ‘Yumechikara’ wheat ‘Nikomaru’ rice ‘Benifuuki’ tea Auditors NARO Headquarters [1983] National Institute of Agro- biological Sciences National Institute for Agro- Environmental Sciences [1986] National Center for Seeds and Seedlings [2016] INTEGRATION Agri-Food Business Innovation Center Conducts market-oriented and de- mand-driven R&D, dissemination of NARO achievements to producers, and development of advanced technologies for agri-food business innovation. Advanced Analysis Center Provides essential analytical technolo- gies and data management system to support research on agriculture, food and the environment. Genetic Resources Center Implements extensive research on con- servation, management and utilization of agrobiological resources, and coordi- nating Genebank activities. Capital distribution by NARO Commissioning other organizations such as universities, independent ad- ministrative agencies, or private enter- prises to pursue basic research on bio- oriented technological innovations. Employees and Budget Number of employees (as of April 1, 2018) 3,305(includes 1,841 researchers) Budget for FY2018 63.2 billion yen (includes operating cost subsidy of 55.4 billion yen)